If you have nothing else to guide you in the play, accept cards the defenders play at their face value. It can help you find the winning line.

South did not like the idea of opening with a strong, artificial two-club bid since the auction might get out of control. Once North showed a club preference and values, South settled in six clubs after discovering an ace was missing from the combined holdings.

On the auction, a red-suit lead would have been safer, but West led a low spade, won in the closed hand with the king as East put up the jack. Since the contract was laydown if trumps were 2-2 (after forcing out the ace of diamonds, a spade could be ruffed and another discarded on a diamond honor), declarer cashed the king of clubs, fetching the queen from West. If that was an honest card, trumps were breaking 3-1, so declarer found a line that offered an additional chance.

Abandoning trumps, declarer cashed the ace of spades, fetching the nine from East, and ace-king of hearts, then led a diamond to the queen. If West held the ace, declarer would have to hope that East held three spades. However, the ace was with East, so declarer could claim the contract if East had started with three clubs as the fall of the cards had advertised. No matter which suit East led, it would provide declarer with an entry to dummy, permitting him to discard two spades on the queen of hearts and the table's remaining diamond honor.

(Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers' responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Media Services Inc., 2010 Westridge Drive, Irving, TX 75038. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@aol.com.)